Zen Jiu Jitsu

Wow!!!

So I picked up this, the second book in the series, first.
About halfway through... I grabbed the first one as well!
I have been practicing martial arts for over 25 years & teaching for over 16 years. I recently started BJJ & I learned more from this book than six months in class!!!
If you want to improve your game...
GET. THIS. SERIES!!!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

good book, bad narration

very good lessons and concepts. the narrator was rough to listen to, though. worth the time

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Pretty helpful!

This book is not a how too but if your very new to jiu jitsu it gives you a good start on what you should be focusing on, and a good foundation of general concepts.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Loved!

I've been practicing for about a year and a half almost daily, currently a four stripe white belt. Absolutely great information, a lot of important concepts to think about, and a lot of further reading suggestions offered. Would recommend to anyone who is starting jiu jitsu through newly promoted blue belts.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

amazing

absolutely the best book out there for beginners. I have just finished listening and am about to press repeat!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great read Narrator a little annoying

The Info in this book is great. The
narrator sounds too dry and mispronounces a lot of BJJ terms and names like Rickson Gracie & De La Riva.

No shade thrown though. Great read!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good content, terrible delivery.

Mispronunciations of almost every single proper Brazilian name, and the spelling out of web links character by character made this a tough listen.

Worth the read

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

worth the read, good insights into setting expectations on how to train and advance.

Any additional comments?

I found that as a beginner, I was sometimes lost in the terms, and didn't understand specific Jiu Jitsu moves and terms being used. But overall, it was a good listen. I may listen again in 4-6 months.

2 of 8 people found this review helpful

reading

if reading a book to make audio books know how to pronounce the words written

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another empty-headed book from Mr. Staark

What disappointed you about Zen Jiu Jitsu?

For one - the title is a complete rip off of a wonderful book, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," and so one expects that the book will at least be a worthy read. Instead, the title is the best part of the book.

Like his other books, this one is just devoid of any useful content. I don't understand how you can put this many pages down and actually not transmit an iota of useful knowledge to the reader - especially on a pretty basic subject like moving from your white belt to your blue - but Mr. Staark manages to do so.

The transition from white belt to blue belt is in many practitioners opinion, one of the most critical ones in jiu jitsu. There is so much to share on the topic that it would be very easy to end up with a thick book detailing everything from critical techniques every white-belt should focus on to what to look for when selecting a gym and instructor.

While he touches on some of this in a very general way, I'd sum up the book as, "Go get 'em, tiger, and don't give up."

It's too bad -- he has quite a series buit up on jiu jitsu and i just find these the worst books I've ever read. There are other books I can gig because they get intense with too many techniques, or don't explain well, etc. -- but generally, if I was stuck on a desert island with one of them, I could progress my game considerably with the content. This is definitely NOT the case - you couldn't even move from white to blue. He offers no techniques, no tips, and to me what's REALLY lacking is what every white belt needs desperately, which is 'gym sense" that is - what do you need to have with you, how should you act when you come to gym, and what are the crticial 'no-no's" every student needs to know (such as not spazzing when you're rolling - learning to relax and tap and being quiet and observing the culture at your new gym - very important for the white belt - and that's just one example.

Instead, we are given a very shallow overview, some personal stories that seem to have no point, and a lack of content or training plan that would be very helpful for this major milestone in a jiu jitsu practioner's career.

What was most disappointing about Oliver Staark’s story?

Just a waste of time. No value for the time.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator on all of the books I good from Mr. Staark was absolutely horrendous. I'm almost certain he could not be a professional voice actor. He had an unpleasant tenor to his voice, and the cadence was distracting - it brought to mind a poorly done reading from the 1950s. It was unpleasant enough that it made listening to the books a chore, and the sharp nasal tone of the narrator created tension for me personally - I love listening to books to relax at night, but this was one i saved for car trips.

What character would you cut from Zen Jiu Jitsu?

Not really applicable - I would fill out this book with content - it's just an empty tome. No value added.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful